Epsilon Q3 2015 North America email trend results: Although digital is disrupting consumer behavior email remains one of the most effective channels

December 21st

DALLAS, TX –December 21, 2015 – Epsilon, the global leader in creating connections between people and brands, today released the Q3 2015 North America Email Trends and Benchmarks report. Despite the influence mobile and social digital tools have on consumer shopping behaviors today marketers continue to benefit from the email channel with triggered email open rates remaining above 50% for the third consecutive quarter.

According to the report, triggered messages, which are sent based on a consumer action, continued to outperform their business as usual (BAU) counterparts in both open and click rates, reporting triggered open rates 68.0% higher than BAU and click rates 228.7% higher in Q3 2015. BAU open rates, at 31.0%, were in line with Q3 2014 open rates (31.5%). Click rates, at 3.5%, were slightly lower year-over-year (4.0%) but in line with Q3 2014 (3.6%).

“Epsilon’s North America email trend results show mobile open rates consistently higher than 50% throughout 2014 and 2015 demonstrating that consumer behavior has changed. But this also means marketers should now have a better understanding of how consumers are engaging with email across devices,” shared Judy Loschen, Vice President of Digital Analytics at Epsilon. “In 2016, marketers must be ready to use data and analytics to understand the effectiveness of email communications in a cross-channel context and apply that knowledge to enhance campaigns and continue to realize ROI from email.”

Other highlights from business as usual and triggered message trends include:

Business as Usual Email Trends

The quarterly BAU analysis is compiled from 8.2 billion emails sent by Epsilon in July, August and September 2015 across multiple industries and approximately 150 clients.

BAU Highlights:

Open rates remained steady 31.0% in Q3 2015, compared to 30.5% in Q2 2015

Click rates also remained steady at 3.5% in Q3 2015 compared to 3.6% in Q2 2015

Triggered message benchmarks are compiled from approximately 350 million triggered emails sent by Epsilon in Q3 2015 across multiple industries. Results track campaigns deployed as a result of an action or trigger such as Welcome, Abandon Shopping Cart, Thank You and Anniversary.

Epsilon is the global leader in creating connections between people and brands. An all-encompassing global marketing company, we harness the power of rich data, groundbreaking technologies, engaging creative and transformative ideas to get the results our clients require. Recognized by Ad Age as the #1 World CRM/Direct Marketing Network, #1 U.S. Digital-Agency Network and #1 U.S. Agency from All Disciplines, Epsilon employs over 7,000 associates in 70 offices worldwide. Epsilon is an Alliance Data company. For more information, visit www.epsilon.com, follow us on Twitter @EpsilonMktg or call 1.800.309.0505.